Brickfair 2010
Last weekend I went to the lego convention in Dulles Virgina with Erin. She participated for the first time.
The weekend didn't exactly start well as we got near the convention on Thursday, the sky opened up with a downpour that reduced visibility to about 12 feet....not great when looking for road signs in the capricious Virginia highway system. Then after ducking into a mall we had even more difficulty finding our hotel as the directions took us to the highway next to it, when the entrance was NOT on said highway. Furthermore it had no signs and was locate off of a side road, that was off of a side road, behind another hotel.
Erin developed a migraine, but after dumping the stuff at the Hotel it was off to the convention center to set up our stuff. Luckily mine only suffered minor damage in transit. Erin's being primarily scenery, did not fare so well. I helped her to plant lego grass for about 45 minutes after setting up mine.
Friday went better, I was invited to be one of the examples in a seminar on historic architecture, as I specialize in mid-century Googie stuff. Erin ended up buying a few things from Brickforge, a fan based company that makes lego compatable items, particularly she got "centaur bodies" We mingled a bit but I suggested we get to the lego store early to get our pick a brick stuff, before the rush the was the big Friday event; "The Running of the bulls"
The "Running of the bulls" is where the lego store opens after hours to allow member of the convention to buy damaged boxes at 50% off. People are randomly selected as to order, but this year, to stop hoarding, particularly from resellers who sell by the piece, it went in rounds. The first time around you got to choose one, the second two, the third three, and if you stayed for the fourth...you could buy as much as you like.
Erin got the space shuttle set for her father, and I got the Grand Emporium. Second, I got two Green Grocers and Erin acted as my agent as she did not want to stay for round three, even if two thirds of the crowd leaves after each round.
Saturday we swam in the Hotel pool, then Saturday behind our creations to answer question from the public. Funnily enough, when we arrived, some random guy was behind Erin's set up answering questions on it. While I was happy with my location at first. A person set up a huge Marshmallow Man and lit up Ghostbusters Scene next to mine. But still even there were hundreds of people still oohing and taking pictures of my stuff, even if if he had five times as many. Later Erin and I chilled in the build and play, met a neat couple from New York. Then George and I participated in the drunken speed building competition. I didn't do well, but hey a free 50 buck set and ten Jello shots.
Sunday the public came again, almost as many as Saturday, we packed up. Watched the final ceremonies, Erin and I both got minor sets as door prizes, then everybody got an Exoforce set(Yes they were handing them out like candy. I never got why Exoforce is not looked upon favorably, some nifty pieces got introduced through it. Had some pretty good Mexican food, then headed home.
The Pictures
A Strange Jester looking thing as part of the castle area. I thought it really conveyed a sense of creepy Amoral menace.
A Green 1930 sky scraper by my fellow enthusiast of Historic Architecture
The anthropomorphic animation of the water added an eye catching quality to a nice sailing ship
I just like the dense vegetation mixed with a guy picking mushrooms
Little burgers, I hear the are good, but there are no White Catles in this part of the country
Normally I don't have a lot of respect for slightly modified versions of commercially available sets. This, however is very much an exception. The builder took Market Street and Cafe Corner set, then updated them into a Bladerunneresque/Cyberpunk future.
Unfortunately, my picture of this completely done came out blurry, but I was quite impressed on the details of this early-mid 20th century Mobil station
Sometimes the big guns are still pint sized
A nice rendition of an early movie theater
A very well done greenhouse made out an expensive knockoff of Lego called Modulex, intended for architects There are certainly parts I'd love to see in lego
This stained glass effect must have been difficult to achieve in this size
At first I thought this was spider skull island from the Venture Brothers, It wasn't, but the builder did say he was inspired by such.
The giant Boeing aircraft was a public favorite, but I later found the some parts had been spray painted and that it was held partly together by screws. I think doing thing like that kind of misses the point of choosing to build in the medium of lego.
I thought building cute versions of U2 in bionicle pieces, just darn clever
A nice Castle setup
Christmas at the Burrows. The Christmas cracker is a nice touch
A Bavain Nobleman's Carriage, even at its small size, this must have been hell to transport
A Victorian funeral carriage. particularly the use of harry patter hair as plumes is well played.
AN abandone childcare facility, after the apocalypse. Kind of reminds me of pictures from Chernobyl
Another well put together post-apocalyptic building
The inventors house from "9"
Erin behind her MOC "Storytime"
Detail of "Storytime"
Bother Erin and I LOVED this Cathedral. Met the builder, a bald man with a Walrus Mustache who was there with his mom who was also a AFOL(adult fan of lego). Most people there with there Mom were under 14 this guy look around 50.
One of those Pakistani decorated trucks
This Tardis played the Theme song. There was LOADS more Doctor Who stuff than last year. I wish I has a picture, but there was a minifig third Doctor in Bessie, his yellow antique car
Speaking of Doctor Who, Daleks versus Stormtroopers.
Impressive bank structure on the WaMaLug table
Bionicle Chicken
Bartertown....where's Tina Turner
More Historic Architecture
I love the roots
AFAIAC, this is a masterwork of angles. It really conveys a sense of realism
This "Aquarium" was done by the wife of "Starbeanie" which someone knocked on the floor. It was reassembled.
A Powerminers train layout. It was really well thought out, complete with the drill rotating as it went along
Steampunk train
Thousand-plus minifig Napoleonic battle, complete with era appropriate troop formations
The Monster Two Story Cranes that get on the news every year.
It all Greek to me
My Sal's Fish and abandoned Plumbing supply store
The delicate operation of building the post apocalyptic Washington monument
Clock
The future girlfriend of the some of the kids working the military table
A huge and well done port.
Well this scratch the idea of Erin and I trying to build a gingerbread house as something "original"
The Nautilus. Funny how Iconic it is
The aforementioned Ghostbuster Setup
A close shot of my early 1960s shopping mall, Vincent Hills
The Sign of the late 50s motel.
An overall shot of the Motel